Sparkling Girl
Chapter 25 The Thief
“Are you Dr. K?” Robyn, asked, her voice dripping with suspicion.
Luna chimed in softly, “Professor Scott, you must be mistaken. Zoey somehow got an invite and went to the event. The watch must’ve come from there.”
“An invite? Where’d she get an invite from?”
“Zoey just really wanted to go. She didn’t mean any harm. Please don’t blame her.” Luna didn’t outright say Zoey stole it, but the hint was clear: the invite and probably the watch were swiped.
Robyn felt disgusted, letting go of Zoey like she was afraid of getting dirty. “You really have no morals, stealing things. How dare you touch Dr. K’s stuff? You’ve got some nerve!”
Zoey casually fiddled with the watch; she had thought no one outside the institute had seen it, so she felt safe wearing it. But here she was, running into someone from the institute. Lucky for her, this person seemed pretty clueless.
“Hand over the watch right now!” Robyn demanded, extending her hand. “You thief!”
“It’s a fake, can’t you tell?” Zoey’s slender fingers caressed the watch strap. “Dr. K has a bunch of powerful fighters around her. I’m just an ordinary person. How could I steal it? You’re giving me too much credit.”
Stop lying. Dr. K’s watch is one of a kind, and she never gives it to anyone. No one can replicate it.”
Even Robyn couldn’t get a glimpse of Dr. K at the research institute she didn’t have the clearance. She’d only once delivered something to Dr. K’s lab and caught a glimpse of Dr. K’s hands and the watch on her wrist.
She even thought about buying the same watch for herself. But a senior member of the core department told her to forget it. The watch was incredibly powerful, with communication, recording, video, and GPS capabilities. It had a special chip that made it a mini–computer, easily cracking various codes.
Dr. K had invented it when she was sixteen, kept it for personal use, and never mass–produced it. There was only one such watch in
the world.
Robyn had been disappointed for a long time and definitely didn’t believe Zoey’s words. “Give it back to me right now, or I’ll tell Dr. K. She’s a key individual protected by Novaria, and you’ll definitely end up in jail!”
Brian said coldly, “Thieves are the worst, Aunt Robyn. Don’t waste your breath on her. Let’s call the cops.”
“Zoey, give the watch back!” Luna urged anxiously. “No matter what, you can’t steal. You stole the invite, and our parents already scolded you. How dare you steal Dr. K’s watch?”
Maya, who had been silent, finally couldn’t stand it anymore. “Hey, there’s a lotta accusations coming from you lot.”
She’d been abroad for years and rarely came back. People only knew her name, not her face. Brian naturally didn’t take her seriously.
“What’s it to you?”
Robyn coldly said, “I advise you not to meddle. That girl opposite you is no good! Ah, what are you doing?”
Before she could finish, Maya splashed a cup of coffee right in her face. Maya smiled, “Your mouth is too dirty. I’m cleaning it for
you.”
Robyn’s makeup was ruined, and coffee dripped onto her clothes. It wasn’t hot, but it made her look very embarrassed.
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Chapter 25 The Thief
Luna quickly grabbed tissues to wipe her face. Brian angrily said, “One steals, and the other throws coffee. You have no manners,
birds of a feather!”
Robyn finally cleaned her face and dared to open her eyes. She pushed away Luna and glared at Maya and Zoey. “You look well- dressed, so your family must be rich. But your taste is bad, choosing gold digger. What, planning to make her your daughter–in-
law?”
Zoey’s eyes darkened, but Robyn kept ranting, “Which school do you go to? I’ll call your school and have you expelled, you thief! Gold digger!”
Luna pretended to play the mediator, “Professor Scott, don’t be angry Zoey is studying at St. Andrews Collegiate Institute. She came from the countryside, and her grades aren’t great. It was hard for her to get in. Please give her a chance.”
“Bad grades? Then she shouldn’t be studying there. No wonder she’s so low–class and disgusting. She should go back to the countryside.”
Robyn got angrier and took out her phone, ready to call St. Andrews Collegiate Institute. Her friend was the Dean of Students there, expelling someone was easy.
“You’re right.” Zoey suddenly spoke.
Everyone was stunned, and among them, Luna looked at her with suspicion. “Zoey, are you giving in? Apologize to Professor Scott,
and she won’t make things difficult for you.”
Giving in?” Zoey smiled lightly. “That phase doesn’t exist in my life.
Robyn sneered, putting the phone to her ear, “Then I’ll teach you what it means.”
Then, Robyn saw Zoey also dialing a number and speaking. “Professor Ford.”
Robyn was stunned and instinctively hung up her call. Then she heard a familiar voice from Zoey’s speakerphone, “Zoey?”
“It’s me. I’m in a bit of trouble and need your help.”
“What? Someone dares to trouble you? Wait, I’m coming over. Send me the address and tell them to behave. If they bully you, I
won’t let them off!”
After hanging up, Zoey said calmly, “Just wait.”
Robyn’s expression was constantly changing. Luna was a bit panicked too, Professor Scott, was that Professor Ford?”
Robyn gritted her teeth, not speaking. The voice did sound familiar, but she couldn’t be sure. “I don’t know!”
Luna fell silent, feeling uneasy. Could Zoey really know Professor Ford? How was that possible?
Maya leisurely sipped her coffee. “There’s a good show coming.”
Maya didn’t hide her schadenfreude, but Robyn didn’t dare say anything. She kept watching Zoey.
Zoey was pretty but dressed plainly. She didn’t look like the famous Dr. K of Novaria with countless inventions.
Soon, the café door opened, and a man in his fifties hurried in, spotting Zoey immediately. “Zoey, who bullied you?”
Zoey calmly said, “It’s not about bullying me. Someone from the institute said they could get in through connections. Do you know about this?”
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Professor Ford firmly denied, don’t know, and it can’t happen. I won’t allow anyone to get into the institute through connections!”
Brian hesitantly asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m Ruben Ford.”
“And she…”
“Of course, she’s our…”
Ruben stopped mid–sentence, meeting Zoey’s gaze. So he changed his words. “She’s our junior. Several of us at the institute like Zoey and want to take her as a student.”
Brian finally relaxed, “Professor Ford, I understand your concern for her, but Zoey did something wrong
want to take her as a student.”
Brian finally relaxed, “Professor Ford, I understand your concern for her, but Zoey did something wrong. She stole something.”
“Why call him Professor Ford?” Robyn suddenly spoke, unable to hide her contempt. “He’s a fake!”
